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Mike Brady | 22.10.2004 07:17 | Globalisation
23 October: 12:30 - 17:30. Including exhibition and workshops.
Nestlé, the world's largest food company, is to be exposed for malpractice including aggressive marketing of baby foods, trade union busting,environmental destruction and exploitation of suppliers as experts present evidence at a public meeting in Edinburgh, 23 October, 13:00 - 17:30.
The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), celebrating 25 years of campaigning to protect infants and their families, will present monitoring results gathered in 69 countries, which show Nestlé continues to be the worst of the baby food companies in pushing artificial feeding over breastfeeding. While Nestlé is the target of a 20-country boycott for this malpractice, there are other concerns about its activities, which experts will expose. Mark Ballard MSP, will introduce an international panel.
Workshops will focus on exposing the malpractice highlighted in the
presentations and an adjoining exhibition and promoting the boycott of
Nestlé (including of the Nestlé Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Representatives of the corporate-free Tap Water Awards for outstanding artists at the Edinburgh Fringe will take part and there will be an interlude for entertainment.
The Brazilian Citizens' Movement for Water will explain its involvement in winning a legal action against Nestlé over the environmental destruction caused by Nestlé Perrier's water bottling operation in the historic spa town of São Lourenço. Despite promising the judge and a hearing in the House of Representatives that it would close down its operations this month, Nestlé has increased the volume it is pumping, which has already damaged medicinal springs in the town's water park.
The Colombia Solidarity Campaign will describe how trade unionists have been targeted by paramilitary death squads after being labelled as enemies of the company and "personae non gratae" by Nestlé Colombia executives.
Together with coffee growers' organisations in producing countries, Oxfam International is running a campaign attempting to persuade governments, multilaterals and coffee roasters, including Nestlé, to pay a decent wage to suppliers and will present information about this. Information on this will be available.
Campaigners will discuss strategies for taking action against Nestlé
malpractice. The meeting is being conducted jointly with Simpol-UK, which is developing policies for holding corporations to account in the Simultaneous Policy, and Edinburgh University People and Planet group.
The meetings arise from a similar gathering in Nestlé's home town of Vevey, Switzerland, in June 2004, hosted by the Berne Declaration,
Attac-Switzerland and Greenpeace Switzerland where Attac-Switzerland
launched a book exposing the 'Nestlé empire'.
For further information contact: Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking
Coordinator, Baby Milk Action, 23 St. Andrew's Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AX.
Tel: 01223 464420.
Mobile: 07986 736179.


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Andhra Pradesh news
The new outlet is spread over 2,100 sq.ft. of space and can accommodate around 80 guests, said the company.
Alibaba Cloud entered into a partnership with ONGO Framework, an IT and digital solutions company, to provide services to 100,000 MSMEs in India by December 2019.
Dressed in the company’s cobalt blue uniform for the security staff, she takes you through the guidelines to visit the 134 acre facility that can produce 3 billion units of Cadbury chocolates that sell at Rs 5 a piece.
The cocoa processors are expecting a slump in the production during the harvest season in the country beginning November.
The company is also looking at developing 3 large garment clusters in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Each of these clusters will employ 4,000-8,000 workers.
Textile giant Arvind, too, is accelerating its efforts to localise end-to-end manufacturing of garments for global fashion brands. “More than 80% of products of the brands that we sell here are Made-in-India, so the impact of import duty hike is going to be marginal except for some areas,” said executive director of Arvind, Kulin Lalbhai.
While a chunk of the capital may go into buffing up its R&D apparatus, the Hyderabad-based agro startup will also be foraying into other markets soon.
With regard to the ongoing issue of the company's auditor Deloitte's resignation and its negative impact on the firm's share price, Singh said that the issue is not as serious as is it made out to be.
The company plans to launch over 100 franchise showrooms across the country by end of this year.
According to him, if the situation is not amicably resolved the company will be forced to move its operations to existing facilities outside Kerala leading to a lockout of its main unit near Kochi.
Although Mondelez has denied the allegations, the dispute may now spill over to Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Haryana and Telangana.
The food processing industry is proposing to invest Rs 3,424 crore in the sector, according to a statement from the summit organisers. The investment will create 48,298 jobs, it said.
The civic body had handed over the sites at major points to the civil supplies.
The company currently has three manufacturing plants -- two for phones in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh and one for power banks in Noida, its Vice-President Manu Jain told reporters here.
The Market Readiness Project will encourage farmers to work together and help them learn new skills to improve their productivity and the quality of their produce.
India is one of our most critical markets and business here has been growing very strongly .

domain: news


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Bristol Old Vic is set to mark the grand opening of its new restaurant by bringing together two Italian eateries in the city to collaborate on a special one-off menu.
The prestigious company based in the Theatre Royal, believed to be the world’s oldest continually-operating theatre in the English-speaking world, has given its grade I-listed Cooper’s Hall building a makeover to accommodate a new restaurant space.
It is set to play host to a series of pop-up food events to mark its opening on Tuesday (July 20), beginning with a collaboration between Pizzarova and Grano Kitchen.
Pizzarova has three locations throughout Bristol, including on Gloucester Road, Park Street and Wapping Wharf, the city’s harbourside hub of independent businesses.
Grano Kitchen, which began in 2018 with a kitchen at concept store Glitch in Old Market, recently moved to a new central location on St Nicholas Street.
The two businesses are set to put together a one-off menu of Italian cuisine for Bristol Old Vic, featuring pizzas and pastas, burrata, arancini and Caprese salad, to tiramisu and panna cotta.
Commenting on the launch, Charlotte Geeves, Bristol Old Vic’s executive director, said the company wanted to bring something “special” to the city following the challenges of the pandemic.
Ms Geeves said: “With our new “Bristol Old Vic Presents” food series we’re bringing a fresh new concept to the city and helping shine the spotlight on some of our favourite Bristol food destinations in the beautiful surroundings of our theatre. Because the spirit of collaboration is what Bristol’s all about!”
Jack Lander, Pizzarova’s managing director, described Bristol Old Vic as “a true icon of the city”, adding the business was excited to collaborate with Grano Kitchen for launch.
Alberto Noriega, Grano Kitchen’s director added: “We are so looking forward to bringing our Italian dishes to the beautiful and iconic space that is the Bristol Old Vic, and can’t wait to reveal our full menu, created in partnership with our friends at Pizzarova.”
Bristol Old Vic’s new restaurant space, designed by theatre designer Ti Green, will be open six days a week, Tuesday-Sunday.
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Smartphone ODM market continues to grow, duopoly Wingtech and Huaqin accelerate diversified layout.
In 2019, the global smartphone market shipped 1.38 billion units, down 2.2% year-overyear (YoY). The mature markets such as North America, South America, Western Europe, and China all declined. China’s market though is going through a transition period from 4G to 5G, and the shipments of mid- to high-end 4G smartphone models fell sharply in 2H19. China’s market shipped 361 million smartphones in 2019, a YoY decline of 7.6%. In the early stage of 5G switching, the operator's network coverage was insufficient. Consequently, 5G chipset restrictions led to excessive costs, and expectations of 5G led to short-term consumption suppression. The proportion of 5G smartphone shipments was relatively small while shipments of mid- to high-end 4G models declined sharply.
- Handset ODM market review and outlook
- Global smartphone market continued to decline in 2019
- In the initial stage of 5G, China will continue to decline
- Outsourcing strategies of the top 10 OEMs
- ODM market structure and business model analysis
- The top five mobile phone ODMs
- Analysis of the top five ODMs


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Roe deer watches cartoon
Footage of a man’s pet in China’s Heilongjiang Province has gone viral.
The man, surnamed Cao, raises a roe deer named Tiaotiao. He said it’s easier to raise Tiaotiao as most of its food is just raw vegetable.
Tiaotiao also likes to drink cola and watch cartoon.


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Building a resilient Canadian isotope supply chain critical for patients at home and around the world
New study will explore ways to strengthen delivery of life-saving medical isotopes
(TORONTO – June 3, 2020) – The Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) and Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC) have partnered on an innovative study to identify challenges and evaluate potential technology, logistical, regulatory and policy solutions in Canada’s medical isotope supply chain.
Canada is a leader in the production and global supply of isotopes that play a major role in diagnosing and treating many forms of cancer. The importance of isotopes was also underscored in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, in which the nuclear industry supplied the isotopes critical to sterilizing medical equipment.
“While the sector has managed well through the current challenges, the pandemic has placed a laser focus on the need for robust supply chains,” said James Scongack, Chair of the CNIC. “Now more than ever we need to understand the challenges, opportunities and innovations available to ensure supply and delivery of these life-saving isotopes.”
The production and distribution of medical isotopes is a just-in-time activity conducted along a complex chain of global public and private sector entities. The products generally have a short shelf life of effectiveness due to their half-lives.
The research study will seek to:
identify the source and nature of the supply chain’s most significant weaknesses and strengths in order to further strengthen it;
determine appropriate recommendations for domestic and international regulators and/or policy makers that address supply chain logistics challenges and opportunities;
determine if the pandemic has raised new – or exacerbated existing – supply chain issues, and assess its impact on demand;
place a value on the cost of supply chain disruptions to patients and the industry;
evaluate whether new technologies and platforms such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can contribute to more predictive demand that would enable the industry to be more efficient and expand into new lines of business.
“A resilient supply chain is essential to the sector’s ability to grow through the development of new products and lines of business,” said Scongack. “Patients fighting cancer and other medical conditions all over the world rely on Canada for a safe and stable supply of medical isotopes. This presents a major challenge – and opportunity – for Canadian leadership in securing a safe and reliable supply of isotopes.”
Specifically, the study will examine supply chain issues for four critical isotopes:
Cobalt-60, which sterilizes single-use medical devices, including masks, gloves, implantable devices, as well as some food products like spices and more;
Iodine-125 (I-125), used in medical imaging and the treatment of prostate and other cancers, with 60 per cent of the world’s supply produced at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor at McMaster University;
Actinium-225 (Ac-225), used in precision targeting of cancer cells, currently produced at TRIUMF in Vancouver in a fast-developing market where key challenges include scaling up production, including improving availability and recycling of target materials; and
Lutetium-177 (Lu-177), a treatment for advanced and metastasizing prostate cancers, which currently accounts for 16 per cent of the beta-emitters in the Canadian therapeutic product market.
“A reliable supply chain is critical to improving patient outcomes and expanding the industry,” said NII President Bruce Wallace. “The medical isotope industry and policy makers need actionable intelligence to address vulnerabilities that inhibit growth of a strategic Canadian sector. And we need to assess whether new technologies provide potential solutions to addressing them.”
The study is scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter of 2020 with a virtual stakeholder update session to be held in the third quarter of 2020.
About the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC) is an independent organization consisting of representatives from various levels within the Canadian health sector, nuclear industry and research bodies, convened specifically to advocate for our country’s role in the production of the world’s isotope supply.
For more information please contact:
Manager Strategic Initiatives
Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
About the Nuclear Innovation Institute
The Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides a platform for accelerating the pace of innovation in the nuclear industry.
Nuclear energy is a powerful force for decarbonization. It creates good jobs, drives economic growth and produces radioisotopes that are used - among other benefits - for cancer detection and therapies that save lives in Canada and around the world. The Institute is founded on the belief that the industry can enhance these vital contributions by adopting a structured approach to fostering innovation.
NII’s goal is to shape a Canadian nuclear industry that embraces new thinking, new technologies and new lines of business that play a central role in the global shift to a low-carbon future.
For more information please contact:
Nuclear Innovation Institute


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Latest Science News category which involves the following features daily news, blogs, feature stories, reviews and more related to all disciplines of science and medicine. Science is the biggest invention on the earth and day by day Research and development goes very fast. Science is used everywhere in this world. without Science it is very difficult to stay in todays life.
Ratings Ratings Long life battery that can last a lifetime has been discovered by the scientist at the University of California at Irvine. While working on a solution to replace lithium with... Read more
Ratings Ratings The recent development by researchers at the University of British Columbia, soon there will be a way to transform Type A blood into Type O blood which is more in demand. Thi... Read more
Ratings Ratings Medical science is becoming more and more advanced, seems like it’s not going to take too long before doctors can grow new organs on demand from patients own cells. Yes... Read more
Ratings Ratings Scientists have made a breakthrough in the development of a new technique to examine the inner membrane of a fuel cell which could prove to be a game changer for cleaner ener... Read more
Ratings Ratings The Indian Space Agency confirmed about the Thursday evening launch of India’s navigation satellite IRNSS-1H using the rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C39 (PSLV-C... Read more
Ratings Ratings Samsung has long been known to offer health related features to its flagship devices which include its high-end smartphone which offers inbuilt heart rate sensor as well as r... Read more
Ratings Ratings Usatoday.com reported a new device developed at The Ohio State University, it can start healing organs in a “fraction of a second,” according to the researchers.... Read more


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California drought hurts honey harvest
In this Wednesday, July 16, 2014 photo, a bee works on a honeycomb the Gene Brandi Apiary in Los Banos, Calif. The state is traditionally one of the country's biggest honey producers, but a three-year drought has left hillsides barren and forced farmers to tear out orchards and leave fields fallow. (AP /Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Terrence Chea, The Associated Press
Published Thursday, August 21, 2014 7:34AM EDT
LOS BANOS, Calif. -- California's record drought hasn't been sweet to honeybees, and it's creating a sticky situation for beekeepers and honey buyers.
The state is one of the country's largest honey producers, with abundant crops and wildflowers that provide the nectar that bees turn into honey.
But the lack of rain has ravaged native plants and forced farmers to tear out orchards and plant fewer crops, leaving fewer places for honeybees to forage.
The historic drought is reducing supplies of California honey, raising prices for consumers and making it harder for beekeepers to earn a living.
The drought is the latest blow to honeybees that have been decimated by pesticides, parasites and disease.
The record low rainfall is worsening a worldwide shortage of honey that has pushed prices to all-time highs.


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There are those out there concerned that George R.R. Martin might not be around to finish "Game of Thrones." Martin has two words for them.
The technology-adverse "Game of Thrones" author tweets about not tweeting that much. Good thing he reminded us of his Livejournal blog.
The "Game of Thrones" author confesses on a chat show that he writes his best-selling books using WordStar 4.0 on a DOS machine. So don't distract him!
A total of 2 million smartwatches were shipped last year, according to Strategy Analytics. The Galaxy Gear drove most of the platform's growth.
The nation's fourth largest cable operator publishes a letter sent to Time Warner Cable, the second largest US cable operator, asking the company's execs to meet them at the bargaining table.
Huawei has another massive mobile in the works, and it's given it a natty new look. Just don't expect a specs overhaul.
Both good bots and bad bots can be found lurking online -- looking to either drive traffic or wreak havoc.
CNET editor Dong Ngo finds the Netgear R8000 Nighthawk X6 Wi-Fi router a hefty investment that doesn't return much, yet he gets one anyway.
This aluminum-topped portable speaker can be mounted on a wall and delivers decent sound for its $50 price tag -- though it's lacking in bass.
Jaguar improves on its gorgeous F-Type roadster with the 550-horsepower 2015 F-Type Coupe R and its sleek and sexy hardtop.
Pricing not available


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- 13 Oct 2016 9:00 AM
In the representative survey of 2,000 people conducted between Sept. 1 and 15, people rated the significance of their new sources on a scale of 1 to 5, awarding television 4.2 points, friends and family 4.1 and the internet 3.3.
Some 71% of social media users said they regularly read news items there and 40% said they also shared some items. Fully 66% said they were most interested in tabloid news.
Fully 62% said they regularly read news on public affairs and 27% said they shared these items. According to the survey, 37% of people with social media profiles read news items on a daily basis.
Altogether 67% said it was possible they had first come across a news item on social media.
Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.


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Business groups have called on the government to extend the support over energy prices to small businesses struggling amid rocketing costs.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday announced a series of financial support schemes to help households cope with a rise in energy bills, set to soar from April after the energy regulator Ofgem said it would increase its price cap by 54 per cent. Sunak said the government’s help would provide the majority of households with £350, just over half that rise, estimated to be £693.
“Our 11,000 members are facing a string of cost hikes in April, with increases to minimum wage rates and national insurance contributions, the reintroduction of business rates, and now rocketing gas and electricity bills,” Narinder Randhawa, NFRN national president, said.
“To satisfy customer demand and to keep everyone safe, our members’ stores contain chillers, freezers, EPoS, bright lighting and CCTV. As each year passes, it becomes increasingly difficult to cut these costs. Members in town and city centre locations have also seen footfall drop during the lockdown and as workers continue to resist calls to go back to the office,” he added.
Randhawa said they will be writing to Rishi Sunak to ask him “not to turn his back on independent retailers and to give us help and support as our bills rocket.”
“Independent retailers kept Britain going during the lockdown but now it is essential that the government helps us,” he said.
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said the firms will be feeling a double hit as energy price spikes leave them exposed, while rise in base rate will heap pressure on many indebted businesses, even as tax rises loom and inflation bites.
“First off, exclusion from the Chancellor’s statement regarding support for those struggling with energy bills. And second, a rate rise that will increase repayments on a good deal of personal and professional debt, adding to existing cashflow woes just as tax rises loom,” Mike Cherry, national chair of FSB, said.
Yesterday, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has raised the base rate to 0.5 per cent.
“The government is right to help households with rising costs. It should be helping the smallest firms too, which face many of the same challenges as consumers in the energy market, but without the same protections,” Cherry said, calling for an equivalent business rates rebate.
“Planned support via the council tax system will leave struggling community cafes, convenience stores and restaurants wondering, where is the support via the business rates system? Equally, where is the help to spread bills for the small businesses that create jobs and ensure growth in local economies? These are the very businesses which will be key to the success of the levelling-up agenda, yet the day after it was launched they’ve been left out in the cold,” he said.
“The household rebate should be matched by an equivalent business rates rebate, to help the smallest firms which have been weathering these price increases for months already, and which desperately need a measure of protection from the energy crisis storm.”
Cherry said the interest rise will pile yet more stress on small business owners struggling with debt, against a backdrop of spiralling utility bills and surging inflation in the round.
“The back-to-back rate increases will mean more pain for all those with personal and professional debt that carries a floating rate. Where emergency loans are concerned, repayments on bounce-back loans are fixed, but anyone with a coronavirus interruption loan could be significantly impacted by this move,” he noted.
Cherry urged the government to expand Pay As You Grow to cover CBILS as well as bounce-backs to minimise the risk of sending viable businesses to the wall.


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New Delhi : Mankind Pharma has joined the bidding process for surgical supplies company Healthium Medtech, owned by private equity firm Apax Partners, sources aware of the matter told ET. Mankind Pharma and ChrysCapital are jointly evaluating whether to purchase the company and have formed a consortium. The development comes immediately after ChrysCapital sold its entire stake in Mankind Pharma on Tuesday. It had been an investor in the Delhi-based pharmaceutical company for several years.
Bidding for Healthium is likely to be competitive with several others such as KKR, Novo Nordisk, Hillhouse, Blackstone and EQT said to be also evaluating a purchase of the company, according to sources close to the developments.
Apax expects a $1 billion valuation for the company. Final bids could be due in five weeks if due diligence proceeds as expected.
Mankind Pharma and ChrysCapital had not responded to ET’s queries until press time. Apax Partners declined to comment. ET had first reported about Apax putting up Healthium for sale in its January 11 edition. “This is a global hospital supplies business. It is a relevant diversification for a pharmaceutical company,” a person aware of reasons behind Mankind Pharma’s decision to evaluate this acquisition opportunity said on condition of anonymity.
Healthium’s mainstay products are surgical sutures and staples, both of which are core supplies required for conducting surgeries and used for keeping wounds from opening up.
ChrysCapital has a long-term relationship with Mankind’s promoters, the Juneja family, since at least 2007. ChrysCapital had invested $24 million in 2007 for a 11% stake in Mankind Pharma which was sold to Capital International in 2015 for $200 million.
ChrysCapital made a comeback in 2018, heading the consortium that included Singapore’s Government Investment Corporation and Canada’s CPP Investments, by purchasing a 10% stake for about $350 million, valuing the company at $3.5 billion.
Since 2018, ChrysCapital has made a total investment worth ₹2,210 crore in Mankind Pharma. The PE fund made an exit worth ₹7,510 crore with an IRR of 24%, said sources.
Started in 1995 by brothers Ramesh and Rajeev Juneja, Mankind is the fourth largest pharma company in India in terms of domestic sales. The company, which has FY23 topline of ₹8,749 crore, gained 97% of its revenue from the domestic market. Healthium (formerly Sutures India) is the fourth largest surgical suture manufacturer in the world and the second largest in the country with a market share of about 18%. Ethicon, Arthrex, and Covidien Holding are some of the global players in this surgical sutures market.
In 2018, Quinag Acquisition (FDI), a company backed by funds advised by Apax Partners, acquired the Healthium stake from PE funds TPG Growth, CX Partners, and founding shareholders, for about ₹1,950 crore ($300 million). Apax Partners holds about 99.8% stake in Healthium.


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By: Hilliary Smith, Contributing Reporter
Charles Honeywood was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago appreciating the White Sox. During his childhood, his grandfather tried raising him a Cubs fan, but it did not stick.
Major League Baseball fans anxiously waited for home openers the first week of April as Student Involvement prepares for baseball spring ticket sales.
Sox fans, don’t get too excited. According to Director of Student Involvement Cari Cook, Dominican won’t be selling any White Sox tickets this spring.
Honeywood thinks it is unfair to only have Cubs tickets this spring.
“The Sox actually win. Not to knock the Cubs, but we’ve won a World Series in the last 100 years,” he said.
Dominican does not have access to Sox tickets this spring because it takes more money.
“At the end of the year there isn’t much left in the budget,” Cook said. Sox tickets are not as popular as Cubs tickets to the Dominican community, she added.
However, Honeywood and others would disagree. “U.S. Cellular is newer than Wrigley; it’s more updated and Wrigley is old school,” Honeywood said.
Freshman Dan Frachello has been to several White Sox games. “I’d really like to buy tickets. I’m disappointed,” he said. “The atmosphere is good. People are really friendly and there’s good food.”
Yet, Student Involvement expects to sell all 100 Cubs tickets this April to students.
Student Involvement wants to offer a cultural experience to students otherwise not available to them, because of this “Dominican takes a loss on every ticket sold,” Cook said.
Cubs tickets always sell really well.
“It’s more of a privilege because of the discounted ticket price,” she said.
Students really take advantage of the discounted tickets, Cook said. Senior Carlos Rojas wears his flat bill navy Cubs hat religiously. He and his friends are big Cubs fans he said.
“A group of nine of us got tickets to a game through Dominican last spring,” Rojas said. “I plan on getting tickets again.”
The tickets Student Involvement sells are not premium seats at Wrigley Field. They are only $5 and seats are usually in the Terrace Reserve section.
This seating gives flexibility to students so they can walk around the ballpark and explore.
“Different games and different teams have a different appeal to students,” Cook said. Usually though, Cubs tickets are a fast pick for Dominican students.
The line of students waiting for Cubs tickets has extended past the Residence Life offices and the Wellness Center in the past, Student Involvement Resource Center worker Evelyn Macedo said.
“We open at 9 and around 8:30 people will already be lined up outside,” she said.
Like this year, Student Involvement plans to sell sporting event tickets to the Bulls, the Blackhawks, the Cubs and the White Sox games next fall and spring.
Flyers, banners, alerts on the MyDU page, Campus News page and Student Involvement’s Facebook page will advertise the Cubs ticket sales.
“These tickets will sell out in one day,” Cook says. Tickets go on sale April 25 for the May 13 game against the San Francisco Giants.
The Cubs tickets are the SIRC’s “biggest sale of the year for sporting events,” Macedo said.


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Columbia Mall Shooter Obsessed With Columbine, Mass MurderPolice in Howard County say they will reveal more about a man who in January shot and killed two employees of a skate shop at a mall in Maryland.
Mall in Columbia Will Hold Moment of Silence for VictimsThe Maryland mall where two people were fatally shot last week says it will hold a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims.
Candlelight Vigil Held at Columbia MallThe Howard County mall where two people were fatally shot last weekend is holding a candlelight vigil for the victims.
Police: Columbia Mall Gunman Wrote of Killing PeopleMaryland police say the man who killed two people and then shot himself inside a shopping mall wrote about killing people in his journal and said he was ready to die.
Financial Records of Columbia Mall Shooter Under ReviewMaryland police say they're investigating the financial records of a man who killed two people and then himself inside a shopping mall.
Shooting Victims Remembered as Columbia Mall Reopens Two victims of a shooting at The Mall in Columbia are being remembered as the mall reopens.
Many Questions Still Surround Columbia Mall ShootingThe mall where a Maryland teenager gunned down two people before killing himself was set for a somber reopening Monday under increased security as police worked to figure out why the shooting took place and whether the gunman knew either victim.


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Though the internet is a global phenomenon, US-based, English-only websites remain the most popular destinations for internet users from all over the world.
A survey by eMarketer last month, found that in the US especially, language barriers contribute to a troubling digital divide.
The research reports that approximately half of native Spanish-speaking Americans use the web, versus as much as 80 per cent of other ethnic groups.
For some Spanish speakers, the lack of explanatory information in Spanish is a mere inconvenience. But for most, the adverse effects are more profound.
"Language barriers prevent too many Spanish speakers from sharing in the educational and economic opportunities that the Internet offers," said Anita Gutierrez-Folch, project manager for encontrandoDulcinea.com, a new Spanish-language website that offers topic-specific guides to reliable sites and information on the web.
"The web is a big part of the library of the future and Spanish speakers must be able to use it."
EncontrandoDulcinea, which launched this week, is designed to appeal to Spanish-speaking internet users who read online content in both English and Spanish.
The site launched with more than 20 Spanish-language guides to the best websites – either in English or Spanish – about a particular topic.
"For the many Spanish-speakers who have yet to conquer the internet frontier, encontrandoDulcinea is a guided tour, in their first language, to the best content that the web has to offer," added Gutierrez-Folch.
Spanish speakers struggle to find web content
By Clement James on Aug 8, 2008 7:39AM


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Comfort, Texas – Paintings, jewelry, textiles and much more will be on display at this year’s Comfort Art Festival.
The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 19.
Artist displays will be featured outside Comfort restaurants, boutiques, specialty stores and antique shops throughout the downtown area.
“The Comfort Art Festival has become a Hill Country tradition,” Julie Kuykendall, the event organizer said. "The Art Festival is a wonderful way for shoppers to learn more about Hill Country artists and build their personal art collections and for our merchants to support these artists who inspire us all by capturing the spirit and beauty of the Hill Country in their work.”
More than a dozen artists will be participating in the event.
Organizers want to remind attendees to practice social distancing and to wear face coverings.


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What you need to know
- Google is enabling heart rate and respiratory rate measuring from your smartphone camera.
- Respiratory rate can be measured using your front-facing camera.
- Pixel smartphones will get the feature first, followed by other Android smartphones later.
Remember how Samsung smartphones let you measure your heart rate by placing your finger on a sensor on the back of the phone? That feature died when smartwatches became more ubiquitous, but Google plans to bring it back, and without adding any extra hardware to your smartphone. Following a recent redesign of the Google Fit app, today the company announced a new feature coming to the app that allows customers to use their smartphone camera to measure not only heart rate but also respiratory rate.
Measuring heart rate, which is determined by your blood flow, will require you to place your finger on your phone's camera lens. Using "powerful sensors and advances in computer vision", the camera can spot small changes in the color of your finger. This works similarly when measuring respiratory rate, which is a measurement of the rate at which breathing occurs. You would position yourself using your front-facing camera, which can detect minute movements in your chest as you breathe in and out.
Measuring heart rate is a standard feature among the best Android smartwatches as well as the best fitness trackers, but the respiratory rate is just as important of measurement especially given the global impact of Covid-19. Google put these new features through clinical trials to test their real-world effectiveness and stresses that these measurements are not meant for any medical diagnosis, but instead allow you to "track and improve day-to-day wellness." And bringing these features to smartphones makes it more accessible for those who don't have access to extra wearables and peripherals.
These new measurement features will first arrive on Google Pixel smartphones starting next month, while Google plans to expand to other Android smartphones in the future.
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Derrek is a long-time Nokia and LG fanboy who loves astronomy, videography, and sci-fi movies. When he's not working, he's most likely working out or smoldering at the camera.


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According to the sources of the galaxy reporters, it has stated that Apple is thinking of launching the next generation AirPods in the 3rd quarter of the year 2021, and according to some of the reports, the production for the same has started from a time ago. However, the full report about the production of the AirPods is still to be analyzed but at this time it is the only news in the hand that is being presented to you.
At this time the information is this only and moreover, along with this the Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also analyzed that Apple will be launching the new-gen AirPods in the 3rd quarter of the year 2021 as the production of the same has started already in the factories of Apple.
And moreover, some of the sources also claim that the production of the same might be started from the 3rd quarter only that will be the time period of the months form the July To September.
The Apple analyst Kuo has earlier analyzed that the Apple AirPods new-gen might start selling in the first of the year 2021 but now according to his reports and analyses, it is claimed that the production will be starting from the 3rd quarter of the year 2021 and the sale will be starting from the last month of manufacturing.
And moreover, the leaked images of the AirPods of the new-gen made it certainly impending in the market that it will take no longer time to appear to be the case of the AirPods.
According to the sources, the new-gen AirPods are expected to have a similar design to the AirPods pro version with the shorter stems, but without silicone ear tips or active noise cancellation and all these things will be offered at a lower price to the users.
At this time the retail price of the AirPods Pro is at $159 with a wired charging case or will be there for $199 with a wireless charging case, while the AirPods Pro version is sold at a price of $249.
Apple released the 2nd gen Airpods in the year 2019 and the pro version in the same year only so this time the expectation is 100 percent that the new AirPods will be released this year only.
That’s all was the article about the Apple New AirPods.


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Back in 1946, two young WWII veterans started a company to supply burlap bags and other textile packaging materials to wholesale nurseries, agricultural packers, industrial companies, and government agencies. Gerald LaBelle and Nelson Gudema were able to launch their business thanks to a VA certificate that allowed them to purchase surplus materials from the government.
Now, with Gerald’s sons Jerry and Chris LaBelle at the helm and $15 million in sales, NYP Corp continues to grow thanks to its relationship with the government. But this time, the company is selling its products to government agencies, with the help of UCEDC’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Our daily bid-match service brings relevant bidding opportunities from federal and state agencies straight to their in-box. With government work accounting for 10% of their business, Jerry and Chris look to PTAC for insights and assistance on a regular basis.
“UCEDC has been vital in assisting NYP Corp in growing our government business. They are always ready to work with us. As government continues to grow, businesses like NYP need to expand with them,” says Jerry. “Our entire team stands ready to serve our customers with pride and integrity, as we’ve been doing since 1946. We’re glad we have PTAC as a partner.”
Contact NYP Corp


text: A new report from research firm MarketsandMarkets predicts the food safety testing market will be worth over $14,000 million by 2018. The global market totaled $9,262.3 million in 2012, with North America making up the largest share at 40 percent. Meat and poultry accounted for 28 percent of the global market. The market was dominated by pathogen testing, with rapid testing dominated by PCR-based methods followed by immunoassay-based methods. For more information on the study, click here.


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LG Electronics Q1 profit jumps on solid TV sales
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics Inc (066570.KS) on Tuesday said its first-quarter operating profit rose 44 percent from a year earlier, beating analyst estimates, as growth in sales of high-end TV models helped offset losses from its handset business.
LG reported January-March operating profit of 504 billion won ($487 million), compared with the 279 billion won mean estimate of 37 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The world's second-largest TV maker after Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) reported operating profit of 349 billion won a year earlier and 238 billion won in October-December.
The Korean manufacturer said its TV division ran an operating profit of 240 billion won from 11 billion won a year earlier. Its mobile phone unit ran a 9 billion won loss from 133 billion won profit.
Shares of LG Electronics rose 3 percent after the earnings announcement, versus a 0.2 percent fall in the wider market .KS11.
($1 = 1035.1500 Korean Won)
(Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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- Twelve-hour cease-fire takes effect between Israel, Gaza militants
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Amazon.com Inc's message to investors has always been clear: trust in founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. But after more than a year of mostly disappointing quarterly results, that faith is being tested. Full Article


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At Siggraph 2014, Microsoft Research has unveiled Hyperlapse, an ingenious algorithm that will actually make you want to watch first-person GoPro footage. Hyperlapse scans through hours of video footage, reconstructs the physical path that you took in 3D, and then generates a super-smooth 10x-speed hyperlapse video that is immensely watchable (it’s a lot like a video game, in fact). Really, watch the videos below – I guarantee they’ll be the coolest thing you see today.
Lytro, after admitting that its overly expensive, low-resolution light field camera was merely a “novelty,” has announced its new Illum camera. The Illum is much larger than its predecessor, packing a sensor that’s four times the size (40 “megarays”), and an appropriately larger lens in front of that sensor (though the same 8x optical zoom and f/2.0 aperture remain). The Illum also looks a lot like a real DSLR, rather than the rather odd pocket kaleidoscopesque appearance of the original Lytro Camera. The Lytro Illum will be available in July 2014 at a retail price of $1600.
A team of researchers in the Department of Psychology at the University of York has been taking a very close look at some photographs. Specifically, the team has been searching the eyes in photos for the reflections of those behind the camera.
Since the introduction of the innovative Lytro camera, the industry has hungered for a practical version of light field photography to make its way to the market. Toshiba hopes to change that with a smartphone camera that can refocus after the fact using light field capture.
Open source and standardized operating systems for digital cameras have tried and failed many times, but can the popular Linux-based Android operating system finally make that dream a reality?
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Please select the article you were looking for from the list below, or perform a new search to narrow down these results.
During 2015 a total of 150 new employees were hired to start the Urus project, in 2016 many more hirings will be made
By Mark Smeyers on January 27. 2016 in LamboNEWS.
18 months after the introduction of the Huracan LP610-4, Lamborghini shows the breathtaking Spyder version at the 2015 IAA in Frankfurt
By Mark Smeyers on September 17. 2015 in Huracan.
A brand new Lamborghini Hybrid concept car shown at the 2014 Paris Motor Show putting down 910hp in total.
By Mark Smeyers on October 2. 2014 in Prototypes.
Take a look at official footage of the Lamborghini Huracán design concept during an interview with Filippo Perini.
By Automobili Lamborghini SpA on March 15. 2014 in Lambovids.
CarandDriver managed to get a sneak preview of the Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 production line in Sant'Agata and gathered more details about the new model.
By Mark Smeyers on February 28. 2014 in LamboNEWS.
Get a behind the scenes look at the Lamborghini Centro Stile at Sant'Agata ... the place where dreams are turned into stunning reality
By Mark Smeyers on September 1. 2013 in LamboNEWS.
Rumor has it Automobili Lamborghini SpA is preparing a very special concept for the 2013 Geneva Auto Show.
By Mark Smeyers on February 18. 2013 in LamboNEWS.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company, Automobili Lamborghini SpA is preparing to unveil their fastest car ever in Geneva
By Mark Smeyers on February 5. 2013 in LamboNEWS.
Five brand new Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster perform a high speed demonstration on a closed Miami International Airport runway
By Mark Smeyers on January 29. 2013 in LamboNEWS.
Lamborghini will build the 20 units for the Sesto Elemento in the new Pre Series building.
By Mark Smeyers on January 9. 2013 in LamboNEWS.
At the 2012 Pebble Beach event none other than Jay Leno talks to Stephan Winkelmann, Filippo Perini and Maurizio Reggiani about the Urus and the Sesto Elemento
By Mark Smeyers on September 3. 2012 in LamboNEWS.


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It looks like the Xerox hostile takeover of HP is dead. Hostile takeovers are stupid. They are the corporate equivalent of a shotgun wedding, and just like it is unlikely that two people forced together will stay happily married, a hostile takeover just tends to destroy the acquired company and severely damages the acquiring company. Xerox’s reason for even attempting this seemed to be the fact they’d crippled their own company, and Carl Icahn—the guy behind the effort—seemed to think he could force HP Inc. into taking it off his hands. But it had to be a credible attempt because anything less would simply look like weak extortion and no legal team of a national company, let alone a multi-national like HP Inc., would ever allow that to happen.
But pulling this off hinged on three things. One was convincing the HP executives they had no choice, two was having a Xerox stock price of around $35 per share, and three having lenders that could make up the difference. There was also an assumed fourth condition, and that was that Carl Ichan would stay focused on getting this done and not start another hostile takeover before the Xerox HP effort was complete.
Let’s take each of these in turn.
Convincing The HP Executive Team
Xerox did appear to make some progress in this regard, but rather than folding, the HP team, implemented a poison pill and changed up their board makeup to make the takeover attempt more difficult. While Icahn then seemed to signal his real intent of having them buy Xerox from him, they knew Xerox was too damaged to justify its then-current valuation, let alone the premium Ichan would likely charge them. Paying too much for an asset would open the HP board up to dangerous litigation from HP’s shareholders, and Ichan, being an experienced corporate raider, would have known this.
So yes, they scared the HP executive staff, but rather than folding, they decided to fight and really who can blame them? HP is a Silicon Valley icon, and the executive team is mostly long-time HP employees with deep company loyalty. Asking them to betray the firm they’ve come to love was never going to happen, and—sadly—this is something that a corporate raider who preys on a company just doesn’t seem to understand.
Live every other stock, Xerox stock valuation is a fraction of what it once was. In my opinion, Xerox had already been trading too high. This position is because the company had over cut to improve its balance sheet and income statement. But when companies over cut, they can become non-viable, and Xerox was showing signs that it could no longer fully function primarily as a result of separating from the Fujifilm partnership that effectively completed the firm. Without Fujifilm, it appears that Xerox is incomplete, which is another reason HP likely didn’t want to buy the company at the current price. You don’t pay full price for a partial company, and that is what Xerox appeared to be. The separation provided the cash to try the hostile takeover but, depending on how that cash was invested, it may only be a fraction of what it was thanks to the market collapse.
Xerox did get lenders who would close a good deal of the gap between what they were offering in stock and cash. However, these initial loan promises came to be before the COVID-19 outbreak, which largely collapsed US business activities, and they were around $2B short. So, Xerox was going to need a substantial additional amount of money, and once the COVID-19 virus hit the risk of loaning that much money for a hostile takeover that was likely to fail spectacularly was simply over the top unreasonable. I would have argued it always was, but at least they could conceal the risk even though the lack of due diligence should have been a massive red flag. This lack of diligence also speaks to why I think the effort wasn’t sincere because I don’t know how you justify the collateral on a deal like this. HP would have to be a considerable portion of the collateral, without reviewing the nature of that collateral first.
But, once the market collapsed, getting lenders for that additional $2B likely became impossible, and the existing committed lenders probably wanted out as well. Frankly, Carl Ichan just has massive pull with Citibank to even get that initial commitment, but once the risk became extreme, even they were unlikely to remain on board.
Carl Ichan Focus
Part of getting this done required Carl Ichan stay focused, but he instead started another hostile takeover of another company, this time in the Petro Chemical business. With the market in as much trouble as it is, there are tremendous bargains out there. As a result, there are likely faster ways for Carl to increase his wealth than fighting with HP. With the focus on taking over Occidental Petroleum, the tremendous buying opportunities that exist, and his penchant for making big gambles, HP just isn’t as attractive as it once was to him; other firms are even more undervalued right now.
Wrapping Up: HP Is Safe For Now
This isn’t to say that once the market recovers, Carl and Xerox might not be back, but I have doubts Xerox will last that long. The damage done to the company is too pronounced, and while it does have the cash to keep the doors open, divesting the assets and distributing the money may make more sense given the buying opportunities currently in the market.
In any case, the changing conditions have made the hostile takeover of HP Inc. by Xerox non-viable, and there is a reasonable chance that the effort is dead. We’ll see, but, for now, HP is again safe.
- HP’s Threat Report – New Threats, Bigger Problems - February 23, 2024
- Lenovo Partners with Anaconda for AI to Stretch its Workstation Leadership - February 19, 2024
- AI and the Supply Chain: Making More Resilient Companies - February 9, 2024


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Power Consumption Is An Important Consideration
The future of self-driving is exciting, and as we dream about what tomorrow’s public roads will look like there are many promises beyond the horizon.
From the ability to travel without having to worry about poor driving conditions or reckless drivers causing a collision on the road, autonomous technology promises a brighter and safer future for everyone!
Many obstacles stand in the way of widespread adoption of this mode of transportation, but the ability for these vehicles to travel long distances in a convenient manner is one of the biggest concerns of consumers and automakers.
Having the ability to travel hundreds of miles between filling up or charging is a matter of convenience and practicality that faces autonomous car technology.
While the exact amount of electricity these cars will use is unclear, most experts agree that just the onboard equipment could consume up to 2,500 watts per second depending on the vehicle’s configuration. The power-consumption problem posed by autonomous cars was highlighted in a recent study conducted by the University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems.
In this report, researches found that current models of autonomous cars will need to employ some aspects of battery-power for the viability of the long-term vision, but in the short-term manufacturers just do not have the means to make batteries the primary power source.
Battery Technology Is Not Ready For Autonomous Vehicles
Not only is current battery technology inefficient, but it also lacks storage capability that limits the range of vehicle operation. Modern day electric vehicles (EV) have a maximum range of 337 miles, but the distance an electronic vehicle can travel in a single charge varies greatly between different makes and models.
The average American drives between 30-40 miles each day so EV range can meet the needs of most consumers. However, the limited range of a few hundred miles per charge does not take into account the energy needed for onboard sensors, computers, and transmitters that autonomous cars will require.
Current EVs can handle daily use of driving between work and home, but today’s EVs are not able to transport consumers going on long road trips- especially since the cars must be recharged using specific charging ports and it can take time to complete each charge.
Ford’s Bet On Hybrid Autonomous Vehicles
Ford’s Vice President, James Farley, said in a recent interview with Automotive News that hybrid vehicles make the most sense for the future of automotive production because this type of car is the most profitable.
He said that Ford is looking to hybrid vehicles as the basis of their autonomous car strategy because this approach will reduce wasted time for owners when their vehicle is not transporting people or goods.
Essentially, Ford is betting on the fact that battery technology will improve but EVs need to rely on the convenient and proven gas-powered technologies to support autonomous cars in the near future.
Instead of relying on a cutting-edge technology that has not fully matured like battery-power, or a fuel method that has proven disadvantages for autonomous cars and the environment like gasoline, Ford is betting their short and mid-term success on hybrid self-driving vehicles so they can get the both of the two technologies.
Balancing User Functionality & Power Efficiency
Computers, GPUs, and sensors are among the leading technologies used by autonomous cars to navigate public roads. These systems are used to help computers interpret their surroundings, and the efficiency of these processors are the most critical elements for experts in the self-driving car industry.
Software and hardware companies are racing to find ways to make their products more potent while also reducing the amount of energy those systems use. As computer hardware companies like Nvidia work to improve the performance and efficiency of their products, they are able to work with the first-generation autonomous car manufacturers to implement the best solutions for each model.
Of course, battery-electric, gasoline powered, and hybrid propulsion are not the only options. There are other power options like Hydrogen fuel-cell technology that is starting to receive increased attention among some automakers.
This technology promises increased uptime and zero emissions. However, like all energy methods, Hydrogen fuel cells are not ready for large-scale manufacturing, and many logistical obstacles are preventing it from the wide-spread application.
Powering Vehicles Of The Future
Regardless of arguments from environmentalists, technologists, or politicians, the truth is that the future of the auto industry relies on electric power.
The auto industry can not bet on a single technology or power method based on current-day trends, and like history has proven we will need to take continual steps toward the future of the transportation industry!


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“The J-Pace will have a luxurious interior and avant-garde styling”
New XJ, J-Pace SUV and ‘Road Rover’ will be fruits of £1 billion investment into Midlands plant as specialist electric production centre
Jaguar Land Rover is set to establish itself as one of the world’s leading makers of electric vehicles by converting its historic Castle Bromwich plant into a specialist EV production centre.
According to sources, three new pure-electric models will be rolling off the production lines by the end of next year to join the existing electric Jaguar I-Pace in showrooms.
The move is part of a major £1 billion investment in both Castle Bromwich and JLR’s factory in Solihull. Both are set to be massively overhauled in preparation for the British manufacturer’s new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform.
Despite relatively poor sales last year (the company sold 161,601 units, down 10% on the 2018), Jaguar is also getting a significant boost in the form of two new flagship models.
JLR has already confirmed that the replacement for the Jaguar XJ luxury saloon will be a battery-electric model. However, it’s understood that Castle Bromwich will also produce two more vehicles, both crossovers. Land Rover’s upcoming ‘Road Rover’ will be sold as a pure EV, while the new Jaguar J-Pace flagship will also be built at the plant as an EV.
All three new models are based on the MLA platform, which can be configured with three different types of drivetrain: battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and conventional internal combustion engine.
Insiders say the I-Pace will continue to be built on its unique platform in Austria and have a “normal lifespan”.
The MLA underpinnings will also be used for the next-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, as well as the Discovery 6. It’s expected the majority of each of those models will be sold as plug-in hybrids as increasingly stringent global CO2 regulations continue to bite.
The new XJ’s production design is expected to be unveiled towards the end of this year, before the first examples roll out of Castle Bromwich in spring 2021.
Julian Thomson, Jaguar’s new director of design, revealed earlier this year that the car wouldn’t be benchmarked against established luxury saloons.
He described it as a “fabulous-looking thing” while admitting the styling is unconventional. “It will be a beautiful car, with an engaging drive and luxurious interior… a cabin ambience that’s calm and refreshing,” he said, implying that Jaguar is planning on the electric XJ being more of a car for driving than being driven in.
Rather less is known about the upcoming J-Pace and the Land Rover model known only by its ‘Road Rover’ nickname, which won’t be used in production. Both will be sold as EVs, so it’s expected that they will be in the mould of low-riding crossovers rather than conventionally bluff SUVs. With battery range all-important, smaller frontal areas will be a key element of these new-generation models.
The J-Pace will be distinguished from the existing F-Pace (which will undergo a thorough facelift for the 2021 model year) by having a much more luxurious interior and more avant-garde styling, although it’s not expected to mirror the I-Pace too closely.
It’s also understood that the J-Pace will eventually be available with a conventional internal combustion engine powertrain. However, this variant is more likely to be built at Solihull alongside its new Range Rover sister vehicles, which will also use the MLA structure. This ICE version of the J-Pace will benefit from a new range of hybrid options, including the straight-six petrol unit already seen in the facelifted Range Rover Sport.
Given the success of the E-Pace and F-Pace, which easily outsell their XF and XE saloon siblings, the addition of the J-Pace family to the line-up will make Jaguar an SUV-led brand, reflecting Porsche and Volvo.
While the new XJ is around the corner, well-placed sources say the future of the XE, XF and F-Type aren’t yet set in stone.
The F-Type is said to be “quietly profitable” for the Jaguar brand, and the nameplate will live on, but the final form of its replacement hasn’t yet been signed off.
It’s believed that the shape of the new F-Type is far from being decided. Even though Jaguar’s design studio is said to have some very strong ideas, sources say other departments within the company have other plans for the model.
Jaguar sold 7227 examples of the F-Type globally last year. The 9% drop in sales that figure represents is nonetheless impressive for a car that was about to be facelifted, but part of the F-Type’s profitability comes from the fact that it was loosely based on the structure of the old XK, which reduced development costs.
It’s unlikely that a sports car could be spun off the MLA platform, but a more bespoke architecture is possible for a small-run vehicle, as JLR has shown with the I-Pace and the new Land Rover Defender, both of which use structures that have been heavily modified from their base architectures.
Perhaps of greater concern to Jaguar is the fate of the XE and XF. Despite a mid-life facelift, only around 3550 examples of the XE were sold in the US and around 8000 in the EU last year. The residual sales of 14,000 were partly in China and otherwise spread thinly across the rest of the world.
Insiders say there have been discussions within Jaguar about replacing both the XE and XF with a crossover model of some description, but things haven’t advanced beyond that.
With the SUV segment hitting 38% of overall sales in the EU last year, making it the region’s biggest single segment and well ahead of superminis (which took 19%), it’s unsurprising that another crossover model has appeared on Jaguar’s radar. In contrast, the executive car segment accounted for just 2.3% of sales in the EU last year.
With the XE and XF’s current Castle Bromwich home set to be converted to all-EV production, uncertainty also surrounds where production will move to. A likely annual sales volume of around 40,000 leaves questions over the viability of continued production as JLR switches over to the MLA platform. Becoming fully electric is another option.


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According to recently rumors on SAR, the new high-end flagship E-mount mirrorless camera Sony Alpha a9 will have very fast speed, high ISO range, fast FPS and low megapixels. And this camera is rumored to be announced within 1 to 2 months.
DxOMark has tested the new Sony Alpha a6500 (B&H Photo & Adorama & Amazon) mirrorless camera today. According to DxOMark, it has the same score as a6300, which is released at early this year. See the detail DxOMark below:
Dave Dugdale at LearningVideo has posted his wishes of upcoming Sony Alpha a7R III and Sony Alpha a7S III mirrorless cameras. The Sony Alpha a7R III and a7S III is rumored to be announced some time in 2017, after the announcement of Sony Alpha a9.
After the announcement of Sony Alpha a6500, a new full frame mirrorless camera Sony Alpha a7S III has also got leaked by a Chinese website CameraBeta. Rumors said the new a7S III will have a 15.4 MP BSI-CMOS mirrorless sensor.
After Sony has announced the new a6500 and RX100 V cameras, next camera from Sony will be a full frame mirrorless camera, according to previous rumors, the new flagship mirrorless camera will be Sony Alpha a9. Sony Alpha a9 will be a little upmarket than current Sony Alpha a7RII mirrorless camera.


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It has been reported that a misconfiguration error has exposed personal data belonging to customers of New England’s largest energy provider. On March 16, Eversource discovered that one of its cloud data storage folders had erroneously been set to open access rather than to restricted access. The company serves more than 3.6 million electric and natural gas customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. An investigation into the data breach launched by Eversource’s security team found that the unsecured folder contained personal data belonging to customers residing in eastern Massachusetts.

The pandemic has brought about a new reality for all sectors in regard to cybersecurity, with energy providers being no exception. We have seen malicious actors and attackers taking advantage of both small and large organisations, with this case being just one of the many examples seen in recent months.

Once, again this breach acts as a reminder to all on how data is like ‘liquid gold’ and what appears not to be particularly dangerous from a cybersecurity perspective, has a huge impact from a privacy breach perspective as the data stolen can be used, harvested and mined to understand user behaviours and preferences. Although the investigation into this breach is still ongoing, and Eversource has reassured customers that they believe personal data has not been compromised, customers should still take precautions, especially those residing in eastern Massachusetts.

For customers who may have been potentially affected by this breach, it is best practice to act with caution, as if your personal details have been affected, particularly as highly sensitive data was stored in the compromised files. Therefore, be wary of messages coming from unknown sources, and consider changing your passwords associated with this account, especially if they are duplicated across other personal accounts.

This breach is further proof that addressing data breaches that occur outside the corporate firewall is vital to managing your third-party risk. As more organizations turn to cloud providers for everything from infrastructure to apps to support employees, save money, and enable digital transformation, they are expanding their attack surface exponentially.

Organisations must constantly scan for leaked documents outside the enterprise perimeter, including connected storage, open databases, cloud applications, and the Dark Web to detect and resolve external risks quickly, before they are exploited.

The legal and regulatory consequences of leaked data often include fines, penalties, and damage to reputation, which drives up customer acquisition costs and decreases lifetime customer value. Similarly, shareholder value can take years to recover, if ever.

Data breaches from cloud computing often happen because sensitive data is stored and processed in clear text form. While cloud service providers offer data security capabilities, the particular business is still the responsible caretaker. The increased attack surface of cloud environments makes for a potentially weak overall security posture. With a hybrid and multi cloud strategy data becomes dispersed across multiple clouds as well as their own datacenters. With that data security becomes even more difficult to manage. Combined with a modern DevOps culture, misconfigurations and overlooking general security requirements are becoming commonplace.

Sensitive data is required for many business use cases – especially those that generate revenue or provide valuable analytics.

Data protection, of course, is a crucial part of the cybersecurity protection framework. Data protection that focuses on the data itself (data-centric security) allows sensitive data to remain protected, even when other security layers in an organization’s cybersecurity framework fail, or are bypassed. In addition it anables processing and analytics on protected data, reducing exposure of sensitive data drastically. Companies today who are using technologies such as tokenization are in a better position to ensure that an incident doesn’t have to become a data breach.


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The Google Shopper app for Android hasn’t received much attention lately. According to the Play Store listing the last update was back in May. And even with that, the update only consisted of some unspecified UI enhancements and performance improvements. That being said, it looks like that may end up being the last update.
Google has announced the Shopper app will be shutting down on August 30th. The news comes by way of the Google Commerce Blog where they are talking about how they want to “create a better, more consistent shopping experience across all devices.” In an effort to make that happen, the dedicated Shopper app will be going away.
The key though, while the app is going away, the service isn’t. In fact, Google has said that moving forward Android users will be able to use the Google Search app. Or alternatively, you can also get Shopper related information by searching directly on Google or by visiting the google.com/shopping website from any browser.
Shopping will continue to provide results to include price comparison, product images, details and reviews. Users will also be able to shop while on the go and search to find local availability. Google has said Shopping now has more than a billion products listed from more than 100,000 sellers — of which 10,000 new merchants and marketplaces have been added in just the previous 90 days.
Bottom line here, it looks like Google is just dropping something that is no longer really necessary. Needless to say, we suspect a few Shopper app users will be disappointed with this news. If you happen to fall into that category, make sure you get your fill before the end of August and otherwise, you may want to start getting used to the alternative to avoid the instant shock of switching come the end of next month.
VIA: Fierce Mobile
SOURCE: Google Commerce Blog


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The Verge [XVG] team and community, have been on a driveto extendthe mass adoption of the digitalasseteverywhere aroundthe world.The foremostrecent has been aballotingcompetitionto urgelisted on NetCoins: a virtual crypto ATM and Over the Counter servicesuppliers.
Verge [XVG] Core developer, Manual Cabras, issuedthe subsequentrequest to the XVG family in terms ofvoting for XVGto urgelisted/supported on the platform.
Thevotinghowever for now has been closed. Netcoins ispresentlyreviewing all votesforgedbeforeassertingthe winner next week. XVG was leading, in terms of votes, before the eventfinished.
NetCoins hasassistedseveral individualsto trade in Bitcoins [BTC]. The firm provides a virtual Bitcoin ATMsoftware packagethat givesmerchants and retailers witha simplemethod tosell Bitcoin [BTC] in their stores. If the vote by the Verge community isbooming, Verge [XVG]is expected to be soonsupported on the platform.
A join agreement between NetCents and XVG wasdeclaredearlier on Oct. 16th. The agreement ismutually beneficialthereinNetCentscanbecome avendorofselectionfor XVG. In turn, Verge [XVG]wouldpromote the NetCents platform through its impressive social media andmarketing techniques.
The agreement goes onto clarifythe following:
“NetCentswouldbecome avendorofselectionfor XVG and Vergecanpromote the NetCents platform through its social media andMarketingchannels. NetCentscanwork to fully-integrate Verge into the NetCentssystem including:business gateways, user portal, and credit card and Instant Settlement programs,in additionas promoting the inclusion ofXVG to NetCents merchants.”
NetCents and XVGwillstillworkalongon developing andinvesting valueaddedopportunities as they arise.
The Verge [XVG] cryptocurrency project hascome to a long waysince itnearlylostthe faithof its community onmanyoccasionswithin theprevious fewmonths. However, the team and community has learnt andseem to be growingfrom their past. Together,they’reperpetuallycreatingthe project and coinhasthrough theirnumerousefforts in terms of technical developments and mass adoption.


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A majority of employees surveyed expect Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to increase the income tax exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh in the upcoming Budget,in line with rising inflation,Assocham has said.
“Over 89 per cent of respondents said the slab of tax-free income has not moved up in line with the real inflation. Therefore,there is a need to increase the basic exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh,as it will spike up the purchasing power of individuals and stimulate demand,” the survey by Assocham said.
At present,the income tax exemption limit is Rs 1.80 lakh.
The chamber has surveyed about 500 employees,working in sectors like manufacturing,IT/ITeS,power and FMCG,from cities including Delhi,Mumbai,Kolkata,Chennai and Pune.
A hike in exemption limits will enhance people’s disposable incomes,which,in turn,will boost consumption spending as well as savings,the study said.
The headline inflation stood at 6.55 in January.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines


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... aktuell ein Kurs von etwas über 212 Dollar nötig:
"At 4:44 PM Eastern Time, AAPL was up to $210.63. To cross $1 trillion in market cap, it needs to break $212.08"
Insgesamt sehr gute Nachrichten, die man da liest:
"Wearables, Home and Accessories" including AirPods and the HomePod grew 30%"
"Apple CEO Tim Cook says that the company saw its strongest iPad growth in six years
"The company set an all-time record for Services revenue, growing 16%, spanning a total of 1.4 billion active devices"
"Apple Pay transactions volume more than doubled, will hit 10 billion total transactions by end of year"
Problematisch: "Apple being impacted by processor constraints, leading to a 5% revenue decline for the quarter"
Aber: "Cook isn't expecting processor constraints to have a significant impact on revenue in the third quarter"
Die Story geht zweifellos weiter:
"81% of businesses surveyed plan to purchase iPhones, with a 99% customer satisfaction rate for iPhone XS family, iPhone XR"
Und: "93% customer satisfaction rate for iPad, 77% of consumers with 75% of businesses planning on buying iPads"
Und Apple Watch und AirPods?
"Best results for Apple Watch in a non-holiday quarter
AirPods are supply constrained"
Und auch China klingt entspannter:
"Cook: iPhone saw a better YOY performance in China in the last year of the quarter, and better than the holiday quarter
VAT reduction in early April will improve things further, as will trade-in programs and other incentives
Improved trade dialog also improving consumer confidence in China"
Mir genügt das für heute - schönen ersten Mai euch allen ... :-)
Notes of Interest des Conference Calls mit dem Apple Management:


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According to new research by Amicus Commercial Finance, the specialist provider of flexible working capital to SMEs (small and medium sized businesses), over three quarters of SMEs have written off unpaid debts in the past year. The average amount written off by UK SMEs in the last year is £11,708, which represents just under £50 billion in written off debts, or £134 million every day.
- SMEs write-off £11,700 a year in unpaid invoices
- Medium sized firms lose an average of £33,750 a year through unpaid debts
According to the study conducted among 500 small businesses owners, medium-sized businesses with between 50 and 249 employees are the worst affected by delayed payments with a quarter (24%) of invoices remaining unpaid after their debtor day period or not at all. Firms of this size lose an average of £33,750 a year through unpaid debts.
One-in-five (18%) SMEs said they had lost contracts due to cashflow problems. In order to mitigate the impact of late payments, growing numbers of SMEs are turning to invoice finance to secure reliable cashflow. While 8% of firms said they currently use invoice finance an additional 19% of business owners plan to use it in future including 11% in the next 12 months.
Amicus Commercial Finance provides a revolving working capital facility based on a proprietary invoice discounting platform which utilises the latest available technology and data extraction methodology. The firm’s proposition has proved to be very attractive to a broad range of businesses with a turnover between £1m and £20m.
Its ‘Intelligent Cashflow’ solution is user friendly, making it straightforward for firms to access working capital. It integrates seamlessly with a business’s accounting system, reconciling sales in real time, updating availability of funds and providing quick and easy access to additional cashflow.
John Wilde, Managing Director of Amicus Commercial Finance, commented: “Our research shows that not only is there a reliance by many UK SMEs on clients’ invoices being paid within the debtor day period, but that despite this, significant amounts of debt are being written off due to non-payment. Given this, it’s understandable that business owners are increasingly turning to invoice finance as a way of converting unpaid debts into instant working capital.
“We have taken a fresh, tech-driven approach that builds on some of the lessons learned in the fast growing alternative finance sector. Here at Amicus Commercial Finance, we combine deep sector experience with a high-touch personal service and cutting edge technology to make the process as straightforward and efficient as possible.”
According to the research, the biggest challenges caused by cashflow shortages included paying suppliers, cited by 41% of business owners, meeting debt repayments (30%), buying inventory (29%) and paying staff (24%).


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Johnson & Johnson filed a lawsuit against drug distributors and a pharmacy seeking to stop the sale of counterfeit versions of the company’s HIV drugs, months after a similar case brought by Gilead Sciences Inc.
Gilead Sciences scored a legal victory regarding fraudulent HIV reimbursements.
Gilead Sciences Inc. said an unauthorized network of drug distributors and suppliers sold pharmacies more than $250 million of counterfeit versions of the company’s HIV treatments over the last two years, endangering patients.
tec5USA, a leading designer and manufacturer of in-line process spectrometers, announced plans to host a free webinar on November 10th discussing the growing problem of counterfeit medications and their handheld solution for detection.
Some of the industry’s largest pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co., have developed a blockchain-based system to track prescription drugs across the supply chain to better halt the flow of counterfeit medicines.
By Arun Ramesh, Lead Analyst, Beroe Inc. Abstract 1 Serialization – Need of the HourLack of global co-operation on agreement with one common technology over the years has delayed […]


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Technological progress and globalisation have profoundly changed the way our data is collected, accessed and used. The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive reform of the EU’s 1995 data protection rules to strengthen online privacy rights and boost Europe’s digital economy.
Leading ICT journalist, Jennifer Baker, met Daniel Pradelles, EMEA Privacy Officer, Hewlett Packard, to discuss Cyber Security and Data Protection.
“Data breach notification should be defined in terms of severity of risk and also in terms of triggering level.”
On 11-12 November 2015, will be convened an international summit to discuss migration issues with African and other key countries concerned. What is at stake? Tim Allan, S&D Group Press Officer has the answers.


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In Bangladesh about 17 million people benefit from 5.2 million solar home systems installed in the remote areas of the country. But the problem arises when the home systems produce more energy during the day than the residents could use and store in rechargeable batteries. In this process, around 30% of the produced energy may be wasted. Addressing the problem, SolShare came up with a revolutionary approach to let users monetize the excess electricity, by enabling the owners of the solar home systems to sell the electricity to their neighbors.
“The aim is to create efficient and dynamic local energy markets that empower households and encourage solar entrepreneurism,” says Sebastian Groh, Managing Director of Solshare, the startup making the technology now in use in Bangladesh.
With a power meter and solar charge controller installed in the households, SolShare redirects electricity to the households where its needed. It also keeps a track of the usage allowing the users to pay the bill using a commonly-used mobile payment app.
“The villagers see the results of their trading almost in real-time in the mobile money wallets and can buy their groceries with the money just earned through their solar systems,” says Groh.
Recently, SolShare raised Series A round of $1.66 million investment led by the Silicon Valley based firm Innogy New Ventures. The startup will use the fund to increase accessibility to clean energy for 19,000 households and increase the earning of 14,000 micro-entrepreneurs involved in the business. SolShare also aims to reduce the carbon emission by 2,200 metric tons within 2021.


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Lamborghini has introduced its latest car called the Essenza SCV12, which owners will not be able to drive legally on the roads. For this reason, if you buy a car, Lamborghini recommends that you allow the company to store it for you in a special garage at its headquarters in Italy.
Owners will have access to a camera and will be able to admire their car whenever they want. If they want to drive the car, Lamborghini will arrange its transportation to almost every track in the world, and the owner will be able to drive it there.
Lamborghini will also provide a professional car racer who will give advice on how to get maximum speed and pleasure from the car. The company will also organize several special events during the year, at which the owners of Essenza SCV12 will be able to gather and enjoy their cars as a group.
Only 40 units of the new model will be produced. Contracts have already been signed for the sale of most of them, but there are still a few available, Lamborghini chief engineer Maurizio Reggani told CNN Money.
Lamborghini has not announced a price for the Essenza SCV12, but he says it will be similar to the prices of other limited models such as the Lamborghini Centenario and Sián, which sold for $ 1.9 million and over $ 2 million, respectively.
“This car is like a special passport for Lamborghini’s most exclusive world,” says Regani.
The Essenza SCV12 is equipped with the most powerful V12 engine the company has ever produced. The 6.3-liter engine has a maximum power of 818 horsepower.
The Essenza SCV12 is rear-wheel drive, unlike most Lamborghini models, which are all-wheel drive. The car has a new six-speed gearbox and feathers to shift gears, which will be used in other future Lamborghini models.
A man bought a Lamborghini with a loan under a business support programWith false reports, David Tyler Hines took out a $ 3.9 million loan under a program to support small companies affected by the pandemic
SCV12 is not designed to comply with road safety regulations worldwide, but it does comply with the rules of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
The car can be in the color that the customer wants, but Lamborghini also offers it in a special racing color, which includes the logos of sponsors. The rectangular steering wheel of the car has a built-in display and is similar to those of Formula 1.
A special Lamborghini team will take care of the cars, organize their transport to different tracks and help the owners learn how to drive them. In practice, SCV12 owners will be treated as professional racing pilots, but will not compete.
Lamborghini will host five track events for SCV12 owners in each of the first three years, one of which will be free of charge.


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Dubai is known for it’s opulence and luxury, but they have taken it another step further and assisted with creating the most expensive guitar ever made.
Dubai-based Lifestyle Fine Jewelry, in collaboration with its parent company, Aaron Shum, a leader in the jewelry industry in Hong Kong, teamed up with Gibson to create the world’s most expensive guitar.
The Gibson “Eden of Coronet” weights 1.6 kilograms and took 700 days to finish with the help of 62 artisans.
The design was created by Mark Lui and the guitar has more than 400 carats of diamonds and an 18k white gold finish.
The diamonds used on the guitar was sponsored by Hong Kong firm, Chow Tai Fook.
The guitar was shown at Baselworld 2015, a luxury trade-show in Switzerland showcasing some of the most unique pieces of jewelry around.
The Guinness World Records verified and confirmed the guitar’s value at $2 million.
The guitar is fully functional and playable, but I’m not sure any owner of a $2 million guitar would actually play it.


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RICHMOND, Ind. – An alert team member at Reid Health helped discover that a small number of medicine cups dispensed by the pharmacy were defective, creating the possibility of someone taking an incorrect amount of liquid medication.
Mitchell Neal, Reid Health Director of Risk Management and Patient Safety, said only three cups have been found that had the 10ml mark labeled as 5ml.
“This cup has been isolated to outpatient pharmacy stock, and we have alerted our distributor who is investigating the issue to determine where they were made,” Neal said on Friday. “We are acting out of an abundance of caution and are not aware of any issues that have been connected to these cups.”
He said vendors and distributors will work to see how widespread the mislabeled supply was provided to customers elsewhere, noting that the issue affected only the outpatient pharmacy at Reid Health.
“The good news is that someone here discovered this issue, as our vendors were not aware until we alerted them,” he said.
Not everyone who fills a prescription with a liquid takes a cup, he noted. Some use a syringe dispenser and some prescriptions do not require a cup unless it is requested.
He said anyone who has received such a cup with a prescription should check it immediately and return it for a replacement should it be found to be mislabeled.
“Our pharmacy staff and risk management will monitor this closely,” he said.


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When it comes to the IoT (Internet of Things), the conversation may start in any number of places, but it always comes back to the data and how it can be used.
The pressing problem facing retail enterprises today is finding ways to bridge the physical with the digital. How can retailers create a synchronized omnichannel platform, reduce fraud and tighten security, and facilitate bidirectional, realtime interaction with customers? The IoT (Internet of Things) can help retail enterprises accomplish all of this and more, but many retailers still view the IoT as hype.
Estimates suggest the number of connected “things” in use worldwide will increase 31% from 2016 to 2017, reaching 8.4 billion this year. Further, total spending on endpoints and IoT (Internet of Things) services could approach $2 trillion. These estimates come from research firm Gartner, www.gartner.com, which further predicts the number of connected things will exceed 20 billion by 2020.
Connected World magazine interviewed Chris Boross, then president of the Thread Group, www.threadgroup.org, back in 2014 when Thread was a newcomer on the wireless mesh protocol scene.
“Wearables” has been a buzzword in the IoT (Internet of Things) space for quite some time now, but there are some new words—such as hearables, ingestibles, and embeddables—that are changing the idea that on-person devices have to worn in the traditional sense of the word. The purpose of wearables and their derivatives is also evolving. Wearable devices capable of measuring a person’s biometrics, for instance, are bringing these devices more firmly into the realm of medical monitoring and preventative healthcare.
When it comes to technology innovation, a lot of companies talk the talk, but do they also walk the walk? In many cases, the answer is no. It seems for too many business leaders, their comfort zones are preferable to taking risks that could lead to significant benefits in terms of cost savings, streamlined business processes, improved customer relations, and other common benefits of technology adoption and innovation. In the era of the IoT (Internet of Things), employees wish their leaders and IT departments were more forward thinking.
Could 2017 be the year ride sharing surpasses taxis? How will advances in automated ride-sharing vehicle technology and AI (artificial intelligence) impact the future of transportation? This year will likely be an important one for new partnerships between automakers and technology companies to collaborate on safety and connectivity, as they simultaneously continue to push toward autonomous driving.
There is little doubt that it’s a changing world. In the midst of mind-boggling advances in medicine, robotics, and autonomous vehicles, retail is still largely set in an era in which physical spaces and physical items predominate. This is changing, however, whether retailers like it or not.
In recent history, the drone market has been heralded as the next big thing, but it has also suffered some setbacks. For instance, in January, France-based drone manufacturer Parrot, www.parrot.com, announced plans to reduce its workforce by around 290 people out of 840 staff in its drone division. High-profile American drone startup 3D Robotics, https://3dr.com, which offers drones for industries such as construction, insurance, and agriculture, among others, also announced some “restructuring” and a strengthened focus on the commercial market due to competitive pressures from companies like market leader DJI, www.dji.com, a Chinese company that offers the popular Phantom drone series.


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The Internet of Everything will create business opportunities: Cisco
- 02 August, 2013 16:46
The Internet of Everything will be worth $14.4 trillion between 2013 to 2022 and ICT businesses should already be taking actions to capitalise from this trend, according to networking company, Cisco Australia. Cisco A/NZ managing director, Ken Boal, defined the Internet of Everything as the networked connection of people, process, data and things.
He said the benefit of the Internet of Everything is derived from the compound impact of connecting people, process, data and things, and the value this interconnectedness creates as everything comes online.
“We’ve been talking about the Internet of Things over the past four to five years but it’s not just about these things connecting. It’s about people changing business processes, deriving intelligence from data and using it to drive potential economic value,” he said.
In line with the growth of the Internet of Everything, Cisco has launched an IoE Value Index, which polled 7501 businesses and IT decision makers globally.
It found that the Internet of Everything has $1.2 trillion of value ‘up for grabs’ within the private sector globally in 2013 and will enable Australian private sector businesses to generate at least $36 billion in profits (compared with $613 billion globally).
“If you look at the public sector, these numbers will double,” Boal said.
The study also stated that Australian businesses have a current Internet of Everything score of 48 per cent – in other words, risk leaving about 50 per cent of value ‘on the table’ and untapped by the end of 2013.
As a result, Boal claimed that businesses should start working towards building a smart city that has connected communities, connected energy and a connected industry.
“It’s about what customers want, how they consume technology, how businesses evolving and adapting to embrace an omni-channel model and tools like Big Data as a result,” he mentioned.
However, Boal claimed that inhibitors to the growth of the Internet of Everything include regulatory and compliance issues, IT systems and security threats to data.
“These are the areas for absolute focus if the Internet of Everything is going to continue to grow at the rate we predict. There is huge potential and opportunity out there for the Internet of Everything,” he added.
Other findings from the study include:
- The top technology drivers of profits stemming from the Internet of Everything for Australian businesses are new types of devices (40 per cent), Cloud-based technology (31 per cent), and the volume of data generated (27 per cent).
- Manufacturing (27 per cent), retail trade (11 per cent), information services (nine per cent), and finance and insurance (nine per cent) make up more than half of the Internet of Everything value at stake.
- Competition will intensify as Internet of Everything levels the playing field between large, mid-sized and small companies in Australia. Small to mid-size firms capture 52.5 per cent value at stake, while large enterprises in Australia capture 47.2 per cent.
- The top business drivers of profits stemming from the Internet of Everything for Australian businesses are providing new and/or improved customer experiences; making their operations more efficient; and accelerating the pace of innovation.
- The top business benefits of the Internet of Everything for Australian businesses are operational efficiency, customer service, and collaboration within a company.


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AMD’s vice president of global channel sales, Roy Taylor, stated during an interview with German magazine Heise.de that AMD did not think it will see a DirectX 12 API. That includes seeing a DirectX 12 with Windows 8, or Windows Blue. We reported on his views about APU futures, here.
He said that the days where the industry has refreshed DirectX continuously and new graphics cards needed more processors and more RAM were over.
Taylor was chatting about next-generation GPUs and technologies that they can be built around. He said that while they would normally build them around new DirectX versions to help the next-generation GPU architectures, this was not possible any more.
This is because there will not be a DirectX 12, which means AMD’s next-gen GPUs will integrate other technologies.
He failed to mention what he thought these “other technologies” were.
The lack of faith that Taylor has in DirectX might have come from a memo which was leaked by Microsoft in January this year which claimed that it had had enough of the technology.
An email was sent to its XNA and DirectX MVPs notifying them that as of April 1, 2014 “XNA/DirectX will be fully retired from the MVP Award Programme”.
The email said that DirectX was no longer evolving as a technology and further “value and engagement” cannot be offered to the MVP community.
It said that as result, effective April 1, 2014 XNA/DirectX will be fully retired from the MVP Award Programme.
This caught the industry on the hop as Direct X was baked into a lot of Microsoft software. The email was immediately denied by Microsoft. It issued a statement saying that DirectX was an important and evolving technology for Microsoft.”
The spokesperson added that “Microsoft is actively investing in DirectX as the unified graphics foundation for all of our platforms, including Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone. DirectX is evolving and will continue to evolve. Vole had no intention of stopping innovation with DirectX”.
Microsoft claimed it had people across multiple divisions working on DirectX technologies and was innovating and evolving DirectX.
However it looks like AMD does not believe that and is looking elsewhere.
What Taylor thinks the industry needs are more games like Crysis or Bioshock Infinite 3, to encourage the industry to keep users hooked.
The PC gaming industry is undergoing a renaissance at the moment and Taylor said that AMD would continue to bundle chips with games.